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7.26.2007

harper's alert

New Yorkers, former New Yorkers, and everyone afraid of the Bush agenda: quick, run out and buy the current issue of Harper's. The terrific New York writer (and my email friend) Kevin Baker has this cover story: "A Fate Worse Than Bush: Rudolph Giuliani and the politics of personality".

The first sentence:

Rudolph Giuliani has, by far, the most dubious known personal history of any major presidential candidate in American history, what with his three marriages and his open affairs and his almost total estrangement from his grown children, not to mention the startling frequency with which he finds excuses to dress in women's clothing.

There's tons of other worthwhile stuff in this issue, including Jonathan Kozol (another favourite writer of mine) on US education, Benjamin DeMott on addiction to violence, and fiction by Alice Munro. Go for it.

12 comments:

I never quite understood the American fascination with personal history. Who cares if he dresses up in women's clothing and hangs around in bars? Is he competent? Is he able to make sound policy decisions? Does he have a good platform? That's what really matters.

One doesn't have to have a "pure Christian heart", one has to be a good leader with the right plan for the country and the ability to handle crises.

I don't understand or care for it either, and neither does the writer. But Giuliani is an evil and dangerous man, and his governance is all about personality. That's why in this case, it's extremely important.

Also, Republicans campaign on the straight-and-narrow image, but it's all a complete hypocritical sham. That's another reason it's important. Like outing a gay gay-basher.

The only rebuttal to Giuliani's claim to be an expert on counter-terrorism thanks to his experience as NYC's mayor that should be necessary is: In response to the 1993 attack on the WTC, he put the emergency response HQ in the WTC.

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